Bacony delights

   Still miserable weather here with ice rain this morning necessitating de-icing the car before going out (Judy, you lucked out on taking today off - hope you managed a sleep-in). At least now the temperature has risen a few degrees and the snow and ice are disappearing.

   Almost forgot to head out yesterday evening for the "Everything's Better with Bacon"  workshop, so much so that I actually ate dinner, albeit a light one. Our host and chef was, incongruously, Jewish and spent some time extolling the virtues of bacon. I didn't actually see her eat any, although she did sample the food as she cooked. She started off by showing us a neat trick to prepare bacon for a salad which was the first course. She called it "Pig Candy" and it's basically bacon rashers dusted with brown sugar and spices, then baked on a rack in a 350F oven. It was such an unusual taste that I can't really describe it, but it was tasty on top of a spinach salad. The salad also had bacon in the vinaigrette, so that course was doubly bacon blessed.

   Next up was Toffee Bacon Shortbread - a very light shortbread mix with toffee bits and crumbled bacon blended in. The combination of sweet and savoury was magical and this is one recipe that I will definitely tackle. It would make a super Christmas treat or hostess gift and was not at all difficult - requires very little prep. but needs some time in the freezer to firm up. By the time it was ready I was so full that I brought it home and will savour it sparingly!

    The last course she prepared was Risotto with Pancetta, Peas and Seared Sea Scallops. I thought I knew how to cook risotto but I soon learned some very valuable tips for making it perfect. Preparing and cooking the scallops was a revelation (did you know that you should NEVER buy fresh scallops unless you are right at the boat as they come ashore?) Seemingly in the store they are kept in some sort of chemical bath to preserve them. Always buy frozen and cook straight from the freezer. The bacon flavour was provided by the pancetta which I rarely buy but will now keep on hand for additional flavour in many dishes. Peas I always have in the freezer!

   The risotto was creamy but just a bit more "al dente" than I like it. However, the flavour imparted by the white wine, butter and parmesan cheese made up for the  firmer texture. Along the way, as Elise stirred and stirred and stirred the risotto, we heard anecdotes from her career as a chef and cooking teacher, got all our questions answered and were entertained by her humourous stories. I managed to consume all my portion of risotto but it was a struggle. Something simple for dinner tonight, methinks!